Street plate for crawler type tractor shoes



June 30, 1936- G. wj OCONNOR STREET PLATE FOR CRAWLER TYPE TRACTOR SHOESFiled Aug. 10 1935 INVENTOR G. W. 0 *60121201 BY QM-.QJ A.SI

ATTORNEY,

Patented June 30, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE v STREET PLATE FORCRAWLER TYPE TRACTOR SHOES George W. OConnor, Sacramento, Calif.

Application August 10, 1935, Serial No. 35,645

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the tractor art, and particularly to trackconstruction of the crawler type tractor, the invention beingspecifically directed to street plates for the shoes of that type oftractor track.

In most localities there are laws which prohibit the running of thetractors on streets and highways unless smooth street plates are mountedover the shoes to prevent the grousers on the shoes from cutting intoand impairing the street or highway surface.

Heretofore these street plates have been commonly stamped or forged fromrelatively light weight material. Of course the wear on the plates isquite rapid and these plates as previously commonly constructed wouldquite quickly wear thin. The bearing faces of the plates are unsupportedand therefore when worn thin they tend to cup or cave inwardly leavingprojecting edges around such cupped or caved portions, which edges willcut into the street or highway surface thus lessening the effectivenessof such plates.

It is the primary object of my invention therefore to produce a streetplate in which even though the bearing face should wear paper thin thesame will be so braced and supported as to prevent cupping or caving ofthe same so that the full effectiveness of the plate as a protection tothe street or highway is preserved.

A further object is to construct the plate of such material and tensilestrength as to materially increase the length of its eifective liferelative to those now commonly used.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple andinexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claim. v

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair of overlapping track shoesshowing my improved street plates thereon, one of said plates beingshown in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of one of the plates.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly tothe characters of reference on thedrawing, the numeral l designates a tractor shoe having the usualgrouser 2.

My improved street plate is designated generally as P.

Each plate comprises the bearing face plate 3 which is of course smoothand adapted to ride the street or highway and hold the grouser 2 clearof contact with such street or highway. To this end therefore the faceplate 3 is held in spaced relation from the shoe l by end walls l and anouter side wall 5 which extends from such plate 3 and engages the faceof the shoe l. Flanges 6 extend outwardly of the walls 4 and in face toface relation with the shoe 1 These flanges are provided with elongatedslots 1 to receive bolts 8 by means of which the plate is bolted to theshoe.

Along one edge of the face plate 3 is an upturned flange 9 which fitsover the grouser 2 so that the face plate 3 supports the grouser out ofcontact with the street or highway.

To support and reinforce the face plate 3 to prevent cupping or caving Iprovide a rib l0 which extends across the inner side of such plate 3 andbetween the end walls 4 and substantially parallel with the side Wall 5.This rib is cut out on a curve as shown quite clearly in Figure 3 toavoid contact with the shoe bolts la.

Extending across from the rib ID to the side wall 5 are a pair of spacedwebs ll while webs 12 extend transversely of the webs II to the endwalls 4.

Such rib Ill and webs l I and I2 are of course integrally formed witheach other and with the face plate 3. Thus the latter is supported andsustained from all sides against cupping or caving no matter how thin itmay become from wear.

The street plate P in its entirety is a forged steel plate made of mildsteel. It is annealed under l800 Fahrenheit for four hours. It has anelongation of 29.5%; a reduction of 44.0%; and a tensile strength of73600 pounds to the square inch. Thus, in addition to being constructedto avoid cupping or caving when worn thin, the plate is given a maximumwearing capacity.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device,

still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to asdo not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined bythe appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An integral street plate for detachable engagement with a tractor trackshoe having a transversely extending grouser, comprising a smoothbearing face plate adapted toride the street surface and hold thegrouser of the tractor shoe clear of contact with the street, end wallsand a side wall on the face plate and adapted to extend from said plateto the face of the track shoe, flanges extending outwardly from the endwalls and adapted to be secured in face to face contact with the face ofthe track shoe, an upturned flange along one edge of the face plateadapted to engage the grouser on the track shoe, a rib extendingupwardly from the face plate parallel to said flange and spaced adistance therefrom to form a groove into which the grouser of the trackshoe may be received, reinforcing webs extending between the rib andside wall, and reinforcing ribs extending between the first named websand the end walls.

GEORGE W. O'CONNOR.

